So last week I joined the gym. After getting ready to go to the local aquatic center with friends a few weekends ago turned into me crying about wearing a swimsuit and staring at myself in the mirror I made a decision. I will get in shape. I will feel good about myself. I will do this. For the wedding, for Rudy, and most importantly for me!
The wedding just seems like a good driving point. As I already have my dress, I know where I am now and where I'd like to be. The seamstress said I can drop two sizes before it becomes an issue in the alterations department. So last week I took action. I threw away any junk food in the house, I purchased a gym membership, and I went to the grocery store. Now I'm a girl who loves her food. I have a long-term relationship with carbs, I love carbs. I also drink copious amounts of pop, or soda for my southern friends. I didn't realize how much of both I was taking in until I started to take them away. I'm the kind of person that if you take everything I like to eat away from me completely, I'll follow through for a couple of weeks and then cave and basically ruin any diet I had started to begin with. So my goal this time, is not to make myself miserable. To treat myself once in awhile. Our friends (and family) came to visit last weekend and they had started a serious workout regimen and been eating well 6 days of the week. One day, Saturday usually, was their cheat day. They treated themselves to what they'd been craving all week, something not within the diet. This is exactly what I need, to treat myself. So I've been eating the following:
Breakfast :
English muffin plain & a banana
OR
a small bowl of Special K cereal
either of these are accompanied by coffee. (this is one thing I can't give up every day)
Lunch:
A salad or Special K cereal
unsweetened applesauce
Water
Dinner:
Some kind of meat and vegetable or rice
Water
Snacks:
1 Jell-O pudding cup (This is usually my treat to myself, still only 120 calories)
Grapes
1 frozen fruit bar
Banana
Raisins, dried cranberries
These will change and be altered often so I don't get tired of anything. After my morning coffee I drink mostly water, sometimes some watered down Pink Lemonade. Before this I'd drink soda for lunch every day along with something from subway, taco bell etc. Not that I'm a huge drinker, but I've also reduced my alcoholic intake (even a casual beer or glass of wine) to once a week. For instance, I wanted a beer last night after mowing the lawn, but I had a water instead because I know we'll be going out with friends this weekend and that I'd like to enjoy a drink or two with them.
My workout regimen consists of hitting the gym Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat. If we have weekend plans, then I will substitute Saturday for Thursday. I go straight after work, this way I'm not waking up earlier than usual and I'm not rushing around in the morning to get to the gym and showered before work. The fitness center is less than a mile from work so that makes it easy to just buzz right on over after work. When I get there I hop on the elliptical and do a minimum of 30 minutes of cardio (HR above 160) with a goal of getting that number to 45 mins (HR of 175) on a daily basis. After that I lift weights. The gym has a circle of about 12 machines that they suggest are a complete body workout, here I do 20 reps of each until I get to the abdomen crunch machine. Here I do between 30 & 50 reps. After I complete the circle, I either move back to the elliptical or a treadmill and spend a minimum of 10-20 minutes.
I'm trying to gradually work into it. It's week 2 and I haven't been so sore that I don't want to go back once! I feel great and I have more energy than I've had in a long time! Yesterday was my 'off' day from working out, and I came home and mowed the lawn, which is some serious sweating when it's in the 80's with high humidity. Before I started all of this, I'd come home from work and relax. Yesterday I didn't sit down until after 6pm. :)
I've added tanning to my gym package, it's ridiculously cheap to add it on so I figured on days that I don't feel like going, that can help drive me to get my butt moving. It's a small reward for the tough days. Plus now I can say GTL on my Facebook status. :) I just keep thinking what a better, happier and healthier person (and wife) I can be if I'm in shape.
I want to look and feel awesome in not just my wedding dress, but everything I wear. I want to shop for honeymoon clothes and bikinis and enjoy it! I want this so badly! And now that I've announced this to anyone who's reading it, it helps put the pressure on to succeed! :)
